Suddenly the door into the kitchen slammed open, causing both her and Travis to jump. “Don’t count on it!” Eric said, stepping into the living room, a stun gun held easily in his hands.

Nicole and Travis whirled around to stare at the figure facing them. “Eric!” Nicole cried, as Travis pulled her behind him and stepped forward to face him.

“Easy, Travis.” Eric’s voice held a mocking dare, like the soft rattle of a snake. It froze Travis in midstep.

Even as she gaped at him, Nicole’s mind registered that Eric had changed his clothes. His short-sleeved sports shirt and light cotton pants and tennis shoes had been exchanged for heavy hiking boots, work pants, and a long-sleeved, flannel shirt. He stood easily, half leaning against the doorway, but his eyes gave him away. As they stared at her and Travis, they were like the gray ashes in a campfire through which one could glimpse the smouldering, red-hot coals beneath.

“This is an unexpected bonus, Travis,” Eric said. “I thought I’d have to leave a note. Now I can tell you directly.”

“Tell me what?” Travis snapped, recovering his balance quickly.

“I’m taking Nicole with me.”

Nicole’s mouth dropped open, but if Eric heard her sharp gasp, he ignored it. “You’ll receive word from us day after tomorrow sometime in the afternoon. The exchange will be made a day or two after that. We’ll tell you where.”

“The exchange?”

“Yes. You will have my mother and three sisters with you by then. Their wrist computers and their implantations will have been removed.”

Travis laughed, a short, derisive bark, touched with nervousness. “Oh? Just like that?”

“Yes, just like that.”

“And if we do, then—”

“You get Nicky here back in one piece—still pretty, still healthy, and perhaps even a little wiser. Otherwise, you won’t see her again.”

Travis’s fists clenched and half raised. “You wouldn’t dare harm her, or I’ll—”

“I didn’t ask for commentary,” Eric said as he squeezed the trigger of the stun gun.

Nicole screamed as Travis slammed back into her, spun around once, then crashed heavily to the floor. In one bound she knelt at his side and cradled his head in her lap. “What have you done to him?” she cried.

Eric crossed the room swiftly, ignoring her and the icy shock in her eyes. He bent over Travis, patted his pants pockets, then extracted the keys to his car and tossed them behind the couch. As he bent over, Nicole’s eyes caught sight of the crude bandage taped to the back of his neck. Smears of dark brown were clearly evident beneath the edges, and she shuddered involuntarily.

“All right, Nicky,” he said, taking her elbow. “On your feet.”